1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to brush and tree saw attachments for front end loaders and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to a tree saw attachment having an improved blade structure and a tweezer arm to facilitate tree removal and brush clearing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Front end loaders are generally known in the art for use in performing a wide range of grading, digging, construction, brush clearing, lifting, and other related tasks. Front end loaders are typically in the form of a tractor-type vehicle or a skid-steer type vehicle having a pivoting loader arm or boom on which a variety of interchangeable work attachments can be mounted. For example, known attachments for brush and tree clearing include V-shaped blades with saw teeth, hydraulic clippers, reciprocating saw blades, rotating saw blades, and the like. These attachments are typically secured to the end of the loader arm or boom of the front end loader or to the front of a bull dozer type vehicle.
A number of V-shaped blades used for clearing brush and trees are disclosed in prior patents. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,633,880 (Mattson), 3,004,570 (Clayton et al.), 3,033,253 (Purdy), 3,415,296 (Frankenberg et al.), 3,809,135 (Dove), and 5,950,699 (Dove) all disclose V-shaped blades with saw teeth arranged to cut brush and trees during forward movement of a vehicle on which they are mounted. However, these conventional V-shaped blades lack an ability to pick up and move cut trees or brush to a brush pile efficiently.
Other types of attachments for tree and brush clearing are also disclosed in prior patents. For example, a tree shear having a pair of pincer-type cutting blades is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,201 (Strickland et al.). A tree cutting apparatus having a pair of opposing arcuate blades rotatably mounted on a frame is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,873 (Marshall). A tree cutting apparatus having a single arcuate blade mounted for rotating in two directions is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,971 (Marshall). A tree sawing machine having a reciprocating blade is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,089,341 (Jack, Jr.). These conventional tree cutting devices lack an ability to pick up and move cut trees or brush to a brush pile efficiently, and are generally not able to clear heavy brush and trees as quickly as V-shaped blades.
There is a need in the industry for an improved brush and tree clearing apparatus that can be attached to front end loaders or bull dozers, and that will increase the efficiency of brush and tree clearing operations.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved brush and tree clearing apparatus for a conventional front end loader that facilitates picking up and moving cut trees and brush to a pile.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a brush and tree clearing apparatus with a tweezer arm that can be used in conjunction with a V-shaped cutting blade to grasp and carry cut trees and brush to a common pile.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a brush and tree clearing apparatus having a brush guard and a tweezer arm assembly which are removably attached as a unit to a base frame carrying a V-shaped blade assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a brush and tree clearing apparatus having a V-shaped blade with an improved blade mounting arrangement and a compact shipping configuration.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a brush and tree clearing apparatus having a V-shaped blade and a means for spraying a herbicide on the cut stumps as the blade passes over the stumps during brush clearing operations.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved brush and tree clearing apparatus that can be used efficiently with front end loaders and bull dozers, and that is economical to manufacture, capable of a long operating life, and particularly well suited for cutting and clearing brush and trees and moving the same into a common pile.
In order to solve the problems with the prior art described above, the applicant has developed an improved brush and tree clearing apparatus for mounting to a front end loader or the like. The apparatus includes a base frame having a gusset that tapers to a point at a front side where a tubular receiver is provided. A V-shaped blade assembly is secured to the base frame and has a planar blade with cutting teeth along its edges. A mounting structure is secured to the top side of the planar blade and received within the tubular receiver. The planar blade is also secured along the lower edges of the gusset using threaded fasteners.
The base frame also has a pair of tubular receivers which are open on a top side of the frame for receiving a brush guard and a tweezer arm assembly. The tweezer arm assembly has a swingable tweezer arm which is movable using a hydraulic cylinder to grasp objects against an upper surface of the base frame and the blade assembly. The brush guard and the tweezer arm assembly are removable from the base frame as a single unit to reduce shipping size and to facilitate assembly. A sprayer assembly is positioned within the base frame for applying a herbicide to tree stumps cut by the V-shaped blade assembly.
The blade assembly can be a single integral blade with rear blade portions welded to a front blade portion to form a V-shaped blade configuration. Alternatively, the blade assembly can be formed of right and left blades with intermeshing projections secured to a rib member along a centerline of the blade assembly.
According to a broad aspect of the present invention, a tree saw attachment for use with a moving vehicle is provided, comprising: a base frame; a generally V-shaped cutting blade assembly attached to the base frame; and a tweezer arm assembly connected to the base frame, the tweezer arm assembly having a swingable tweezer arm movable to grasp objects against an upper surface of the base frame or the cutting blade assembly.
According to another broad aspect of the present invention, a tree saw attachment for use with a loader is provided, comprising: a base frame having a structure for attaching to the loader; a generally V-shaped cutting blade assembly secured to the base frame; a brush guard removably attached to the base frame and extending above the base frame; and a tweezer arm swingably attached to the brush guard about a pivot axis located above the blade assembly, the tweezer arm being movable to grasp objects against an upper surface of the base frame or the blade assembly.
According to another broad aspect of the present invention, a blade assembly is provided for a tree saw attachment, comprising: a first planar blade having a series of teeth along a first edge for cutting and a plurality of mounting projections along a second edge; a second planar blade having a series of teeth along a first edge for cutting and a plurality of mounting projections along a second edge; the first and second blades being assembled into a V-shaped blade configuration with the mounting projections of the first blade intermeshing with the mounting projections of the second blade; and a rib member secured to the first and second blades by threaded fasteners extending through a first plurality of mounting holes in the mounting projections of the first and second blades.
According to yet another broad aspect of the present invention, a work attachment for use with a loader is provided, comprising: a frame having a coupling means for attaching to a loader arm; a gusset having a rear side attached to the frame and triangular-shaped side walls that extend forward from the frame to a front side, the triangular-shaped side walls forming a peak therebetween along a longitudinal centerline of the gusset, the side walls being configured such that the peak slopes downwardly and forwardly from the rear side to the front side, the triangular-shaped side walls having lower edges that together define a generally V-shaped configuration when viewed in plan view with the front side of the gusset at the apex of the V-shape; a first tubular receiver secured to the front side of the gusset for receiving a corresponding mounting structure of an implement; and second and third tubular receivers on the frame for attaching removable accessories to the frame.
Numerous other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description wherein there is shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, simply by way of illustration of one of the modes best suited to carry out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modification in various obvious aspects without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.